hedgerowhollowrpfandomcom-20200214-history
Regional Heroes
The Regional Heroes are a series of plastic figures manufactured by Mattel, comparable to Funko Pop! Vinyls or Nendoroids, that first started production in the mid 1960's and are still popular and widely collected to this day. Each Region has its own accompanying line of Heroes - Heroes of Monté, for example - with new waves released every year. Each wave of Heroes depict celebrities popular within the Region in question - Trainers and other sports icons being some of the biggest sellers, but movie and television stars are also available, as well as politicians and businessmen. Exceptionally famous individuals who are popular worldwide will see vast distribution outside of the Regions their wave is based in, whereas other figures see only niche market interest. There are thousands of different Heroes, and, as with any collectable, some are worth small fortunes, while others can be exchanged for pennies on eBay. One consistent design choice made with Hero figures is that they are never - not even Trainers - depicted in the company of pokémon, or even with pokéballs on their person. These toys, in this subtle way, help to push the global narrative that success belongs solely to Trainers, and is not shared with their pokémon - when a pokémon performs well, it is solely on account of the talent, skill and hard work put in by their Trainer. And when pokémon are so easily replaced by ones with better IVs, stronger moves or more complimentary natures, anyway, why bother immortalizing them in plastic? Hero figures are popular with young people, especially tweenage and teenage girls - a common cultural tradition, one of those schoolyard rituals with no defining originating point that nevertheless managed to spread all over the world, is to write one's name on a Hero figure's foot. Beyond merely marking ownership of the toy (and decimating the collector value of all but the rarest of figures), this act is, according to the lore, one of significance that can mean one of several things, depending on the person doing the writing and the way the name is written: * They have a crush on the celebrity in question. The name is written on the right foot, with the first letter situated near the toe rather than the heel, and vertically down rather than horizontally across, in the hope that the desired relationship will 'get off on the right foot' and 'always face forward.' This is a popular use of Heroes among teenage girls and shy young women. * They wish to meet the celebrity. This ritual is popular among boys and girls alike, especially younger children who may look up to the person as a role model. The name is written on the left foot, horizontally across rather than vertically across, with a Magic Marker pen (the fruit-scented sort common in schools), and then smudged with a thumb to slightly smudge the letters and "seal in the wish". * They wish to be just as successful as the celebrity in the same field. This ritual is a why a Hero of a beginner's favorite Trainer is a common tenth birthday present. The name is written across both feet, the first half on the right foot and the second on the left, as acknowledgement of the fact that Heroes stand tall with the support of their fans. * To cheer on/show support to the celebrity/wish them happiness. The name is written on the right foot, horizontally across. Not just the domain of children - sport-crazy adults will do this to figures of their favorite Trainers and athletes, as well. A common prank is to give instructions to write the name vertically, and then proceed to tease your unsuspecting friend for having a crush on the Hero in question. ** This - right foot, horizontally across - is how Mikaru had written her name on the Hero figure she gifted to Molly; a 2006 Heroes of Kanto line Ash Ketchum (which, incidentally, is one of those figures that's worth a small forture). Category:Lore Category:Objects